Miami Conservancy District

The Miami Conservancy District is a river management agency operating in Southwest Ohio to control flooding of the Great Miami River and its tributaries. It was organized in 1914 following the catastrophic flood of the Great Miami River in March of 1913, which hit Dayton, Ohio particularly hard. Designed by Arthur Ernest Morgan, the Miami Conservancy District built levees, straightened the river channel throughout the Miami Valley, and built five dry dams on various tributaries to control flooding. The district and its projects are unusual in that they were funded almost entirely by local tax initiatives, unlike similar projects elsewhere which were funded by the federal government and coordinated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Dams

The district manages five dry dams. They are hydraulic filldams constructed from 1919 to 1921 using fill trestles.

Englewood Dam

Located near Englewood, Ohio, Englewood dam is the largest of thedams maintained by the district. It regulates the flow of theStillwater River into the Great Miami River. It consists of 3.5 million cubic yards (2.7million m³) of earth, is 110 feet (34 m) high and stretches4,716 feet (1,437 m). The straight road across the top is said to beexactly 1 statute mile long. The dam can contain 209,000acre-feet (258 million m³)of flood water over 6350 acres (26 km²). It was constructedin 1919 and consists of as much earth as the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Germantown Dam

Located near Germantown, Ohio, Germantown Dam regulates the flowof Twin Creek into the Great Miami River. Itconsists of 865 thousand cubic yards (661,000 m³) of earth, is100 feet (30 m) high and 1210 feet (369 m) wide. The dam can contain73 thousand acre-feet (90 million m³)of flood water over 2950 acres (12 km²). It was constructed in 1920.

Huffman Dam

Located near Fairborn, Ohio, Huffman Dam regulates the flow of theMad River into the Great Miami River. Itconsists of 1,665,000 cubic yards (1,273,000 m³) of earth,is 65 feet (20 m) high and spans 3,340 feet (1,020 m). Thedam can contain 124 thousand acre-feet(153 million m³) of flood water over 7,300 acres(30 km²).

Lockington Dam

Located north of Piqua, Ohio outside the village of Lockington, Ohio, Lockington dam regulates the flow of Loramie Creek into the Great Miami River. It consists of 1,135,000 cubic yards (868 thousand m³) of earth, is 69 feet (21 m) high and spans 6,400 feet (1,950 m). The dam can contain 63 thousand acre-feet (78 million m³) of flood water over 3,600acres (15 km²). It was constructed in 1919.

Taylorsville Dam

Located near Tipp City, Ohio, Taylorsville Dam regulates theGreat Miami River. It consists of 1,235,000 cubic yards (944thousand m³) of earth, is 67 feet (20 m) high and spans2,980 feet (908 m). When full, the dam would inundate 9,650acres (39 km²). It was constructed in 1919.

Recreation

The Miami Conservancy District builds and plans a system of bikeways along the Miami corridor. Currently, bike trails follow the Great Miami River much of the way through Montgomery and Warren Counties. The current northern trail terminus is Taylorsville MetroPark, between Vandalia and Huber Heights. Construction is planned in the near future to extend the trail north through Miami County to Tipp City, Troy, and Piqua.

External links

*Miami Conservancy District Homepage